All you need know about train strikes in Italy: how they work, how they may affect you, strike info resources, how to minimize their impact on your plans.
The right to strike is a fundamental right protected by the Italian constitution, and one that train sector workers make extensive use of.
If you are planning or even looking at the option of traveling around Italy by train – a great idea, incidentally- there is a very high chance you’ll come face to face with a train strike.
It may be one that is threatened, planned, or one that is actually taking place but in any case, you’re likely to come across the concept and potentially panic about it.
Train strikes in Italy happen often; their aim is to cause disruption and confusion, so that the users complain about the service to such an extent, the authorities have to listen to the demands on the workers. Indeed, stress, disruption and confusion are thing they do deliver, often in spades .
Announcements of strikes cause uncertainty and actual strikes cause trains to be cancelled and delayed with great impact on travelers.
Because of this, it is not possible to have a watertight plan that is strike-proof no matter what.
What is possible to have is tips to minimize exposure and consequences should you travel on strike days. This is what this post is all about.
I am Italian and I travel around Italy A LOT. The train is my transport of choice and this means strikes are something I am very familiar with and I can offer info and local wisdom about – although not necessarily solutions to avoid them (see below). I hope it helps!
What is a train strike
A train strike in Italy is usually a 24h event, often starting on the evening of one day and lasting until the evening of the following one. Basically, a full day.
On the day of the strike, workers belonging to participating unions stop working (‘cross their arms’ or ‘incrociano le braccia’ is the Italian expression) and this means trains face staff shortages which can result in cancellations and delays.
In some cases participation is large and many trains are affected. In other cases, participation is lower and only a handful of trains will be impacted. This depends on the strike and there is no general rule to know how big each will be.
All train companies are subject to strikes. This means that both Trenitalia and ItaloTreno are subject to strikes and so are all smaller regional and local operators. Careful with a lot of misinformation about this on the web!
Strikes can happen in any season and any day of the week and have to be announced ahead (see below).
This means that if you’re traveling soon ans there is no strike announced for your day of travel, you don’t need to worry. Strikes do not happen last minute. If you are planning way ahead, the situation may be different.
How to know if there is a strike
The best source of information about strikes is Italian news.
I find the best way to find info ahead is to follow news outlets (in English you can use Wanted in Rome – nationwide coverage despite the name) or a simple web search for ‘train strike Italy August 2025’ (for instance), brings up relevant news for the month ahead.
I find the news to be the best source of info because they are up to date. Not all strikes go ahead so you want a source that keeps up with the constant development.
Another good source of info for strikes is the website of the company you are traveling with.
These are usually excellent for confirmed strikes so rather than a planning ahead tool, they are excellent for troubleshooting plans should a strike was to happen on your day of travel.
Make sure you have data on your phone and you have access to your email / the web / the train company app so you do not not miss communications from them
Another source of info is the strike page of the Ministry of Transport, but careful with this one!
This page has all the strikes announced (announced doesn’t mean they will happen), up to several weeks ahead and many suggest to use it for planning.
Personally, I disagree with this advice: this list is not intended for travel planning and it is likely to only confuse you as it also covers parts of the sector that are not for the end user. I do not recommend using it as it is not intended as a document for travelers.
News outlets and the official provider websites above are what you need to actually plan.
What to do if a strike is planned on your day of travel
If a strike is planned for your date of travel there are a few scenarios.
Make sure you have data on your phone and you have access to your email / the web / the train company app so you do not not miss communications from them
The strike is called off or shortened – this is common and in this case you may not be affected by it at all or you may just need to change to an earlier / later train (usually train companies facilitate this since the issue is on their end)
The strike is on – If the strike is on, you may be affected and you do not always know in advance.
Usually there are a few scenarios:
- You don’t hear from the train company, you go to the station and the train goes no problem. This is a common scenario especially for high speed trains. It is not always the case, but if yo hear nothing and you are on a high speed train, go to the station and it may indeed go – this is what I do and I traveled by train during train strikes no problem, I would have not even known there was a strike
- The train company contacts you to say your train is affected or may be affected. In this case, follow the options given, usually a refund (takes a few weeks but they do send it) or a free of charge change of booking to a different train
- You do not hear from the company but the train doesn’t go. This is a common scenario for regional trains especially but it also happens with high speed ones. This is a frustrating scenario and it means that the train company themselves did not know for sure the staff they can count on until the very last minute. In this case, talk to the staff at the station to see what options exist.
Good to know: if your train is delayed or cancelled, you will know as such by looking at the departure panels in the station. They look similar departure airport panels and operate the same way, in terms of announcing delays and cancellations
How to minimize disruption from train strikes
As I mentioned above, there is no way of completely avoiding strikes. There are, however, things to do that can help minimize their impact on your trip.
To minimize disruption, my tips are:
Always book direct with the train provider so you have direct contact with them in case of strike. If you book via a third party, staff at the station won’t be able to help as much on the spot and will bounce you to the booking company, often at the other end of a computer and even on a different time zone.
Do not book a train the same day as a flight to catch. This is good advice in any case as things happen with transport, with or without strikes, but strikes limit your options even more. So, a buffer of time is always a good idea.
Look for guaranteed trains. Some trains are often guaranteed even in the case of strike. These are usually long distance trains and if they are on the list for the day of strike, they will go regardless.
The list changes over time so the vest way to get hold of it is a web search ‘treni garantiti scipero trenitalia + date of your trip or treni garantiti sciopero italo + date of your trip
For example (ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK WITH THE PROVIDER, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE ONLY), this is what such search got up for me for the current season for trenitalia and this is the current list such search brings up for ItaloTreno
Consider alternatives such as bus, rental car or driver should you not have the option of changing your date of travel.
If you think you may need to resort to these options, make sure you book as early as you can and budget for them as the competition for space on the bus will be significant as everyone rushes to secure a space.
Unfortunately as I mentioned, train strikes in Italy happen and there is only so much we can do to plan around them. Flexibility and patience on strike days are the only way to handle the inconvenience.
Train strike helpful resources:
Useful Italian words and expression to handle train strikes in Italy
- Strike – sciopero (pron. shop -eh – roh)
- Train strike – sciopero dei treni
- Is there a guaranteed train to… C’e’ un treno garantito per …..
- My train got cancelled, can you help? Il mio treno e’ stato cancellato, mi piu’ aiutare?
I hope this essential guide to train strikes in Italy was useful and helped to understand a little better what you can expect on strike day. If the though of all this is too stressful, have a look at my guide about how best to get around Italy to see if there are alternative options for your area of interest. Safe travels!
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